Timberwolves-Rockets Preview

By SCOTT GARBARINIPosted Jan 13 2016 2:28AM

The Houston Rockets have their swagger back, and it's showing during a four-game winning streak.

They'll have a chance for another confidence-building result when the floundering Minnesota Timberwolves visit Toyota Center on Wednesday night.

After failing to meet expectations over the season's first two months, Houston (20-19) has begun to resemble the free-wheeling team that reached the 2015 Western Conference finals in matching its longest unbeaten run of this campaign. Improved efficiency on both ends has triggered the turnaround, with the Rockets having regained their touch from the 3-point arc and shored up a defense that was often non-existent during their sluggish start.

Those strides were evident in Tuesday's 107-91 win at rival Memphis, where Houston was 18 of 35 on 3s and outscored the Grizzlies 24-8 over the final 7:13.

"I think our guys are in a great spot right now," interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "There's confidence, there's belief, there's togetherness, there's poise, all those things that we talked about in October are starting to come to fruition. When things kept coming, times got hard, we didn't fracture, we stayed together."

The Rockets have shot 43.0 percent from 3 over the last nine games after a 33.5 percent rate over the first 30. They're allowing 95.8 points per game during the win streak after permitting 116.5 in losing their previous four.

Houston is 16-12 since Bickerstaff replaced Kevin McHale on Nov. 18 and can move two games over .500 for the first time this season by extending the Timberwolves' losing streak to eight games.

Minnesota (12-27) has dropped 11 of 12 overall and eight of nine on the road, though there were a few encouraging signs in Tuesday's 101-96 home loss to Northwest Division-leading Oklahoma City. With second-year pros Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine leading the way, the Timberwolves cut an 18-point third-quarter deficit down to three in the final minute.

"OKC's a really good team and got off to a really quick start on us, but everyone played well tonight," said forward Shabazz Muhammad. "We have to carry that on to tomorrow night."

Wiggins scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half and is averaging 26.0 over his last three games. Muhammad is averaging 19.3 during that stretch after recording 20 on Tuesday.

LaVine added 21 points to break out of a horrendous seven-game slump in which the 20-year-old managed 21 total while shooting 20.5 percent.

"He slowed down, he was patient, he found his rhythm shooting the ball," coach Sam Mitchell said. "The thing we've been telling Zach is just focus on running a basketball team, playing defense and everything else will come. I thought he played his best game."

The Timberwolves still failed to score 100 points for a 12th consecutive game and could have trouble keeping up with the high-powered Rockets, fourth in the league at 104.0 points per game. Minnesota hasn't had a longer stretch of games without reaching the century mark since going 16 in a row in 2004.

The Timberwolves also have to defend the perimeter better after allowing opponents to shoot 40.4 percent on 3-pointers over their last four. Houston's Patrick Beverley is 17 of 27 from 3 over his last eight and Trevor Ariza 7 of 14 in the last two.

Minnesota wasn't able to stop James Harden last season, as the 2015 MVP runner-up averaged 31.3 points in leading Houston to a four-game sweep. The Rockets have won eight of nine in the series and five straight at home.

Copyright 2016 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Harden scores 27 to lead Rockets to 107-104 win over 'Wolves

By KRISTIE RIEKENPosted Jan 14 2016 12:55AM

HOUSTON (AP) The Houston Rockets are finally on a roll, playing the way they expected to - but didn't - to start the season.

James Harden had 27 points and 11 assists and the Rockets got their season-high fifth straight win, 107-104 over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.

"We're playing for each other. That's the most important thing," Harden said. "So if a guy messes up, guys got his back. Everything isn't going to be perfect all the time and that's what we're starting to realize and we're just helping each other out."

Minnesota lost its season-worst eighth in a row.

The Timberwolves stuck around the entire second half. They trailed by three when Jason Terry made a 3-pointer with about two minutes left to extend Houston's lead to 105-99.

Harden followed with a jump shot before Minnesota got a layup from Kevin Martin and a pair of free throws from Karl-Anthony Towns to get within 107-104.

Minnesota had a chance to tie it just before the buzzer, but Martin's 3-point attempt didn't even touch the rim.

Harden believes the Rockets would have lost a game like this early in the season when they got off to such a terrible start that it cost coach Kevin McHale his job.

"I think we would have let this game slip away, but no matter how bad we struggled, especially in the first three quarters, we locked in and we got stops when we needed to and we just scored," he said.

Andrew Wiggins had 28 points and Towns had 12 points and 16 rebounds for the Timberwolves.

"We had too many turnovers," Minnesota coach Sam Mitchell said of his team's 20. "Every time we turned the ball over they got a layup or a dunk. Where those turnovers come from, I don't know. There were things that we just don't normally do."

Dwight Howard added 15 points and 10 rebounds and Terrence Jones came off the bench to score 16 with nine rebounds for the Rockets.

The Timberwolves opened the fourth quarter with a 6-1 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Nemanja Bjelica to take an 83-82 lead with 10 1/2 minutes remaining.

They wouldn't have the lead for long as the Rockets scored the next 10 points to make it 92-83. Howard started that stretch with a reverse dunk that he was fouled on. He missed the free throw, but Jones tipped in the rebound for Houston and also made a 3-pointer in that span.

Harden later made a free throw for the 10,000th point in his career.

Houston led 57-50 at halftime and 81-77 after three quarters.

TIP-INS

Timberwolves: F Kevin Garnett sat out for rest after playing Tuesday night. ... Nikola Pekovic had eight points and five rebounds in his fourth game back after missing the first 35 games while recovering from surgery on his right Achilles tendon on April 8. ... Ricky Rubio had nine points and 12 assists.

Rockets: PG Ty Lawson had six points and three assists in his return after serving a three-game suspension for driving under the influence in California last July. ... PG Patrick Beverley missed the game for personal reasons. ... F/C Donatas Motiejunas has missed the last six games with lower back soreness.

HARDEN 10K

Harden now has 10,005 points in his career, reaching the 10,000-point mark in his 492nd game. He knew he was close to the mark, but didn't realize exactly when he reached it and looked confused when the crowd cheered extra loud on the free throw where he reached it. A few minutes later the Rockets noted the achievement on the video boards and announced that he'd hit 10,000 points and he smiled and gestured to the crowd.

"It's definitely a great individual achievement," Harden said. "Credit to this organization for helping me get there. But that's just the beginning. I've got a long way to go."

CLOSE, BUT NO WINS

The Timberwolves haven't gotten a win in 2016, but they seem to be playing a bit better lately. Since being blown out by 26 points to Cleveland last Friday their three losses have all been by six points or fewer.

"It's very frustrating not being able to win," Wiggins said. "Every game we play good, but it's something that we're not doing right or a mistake we made and we just have to fix it."

UP NEXT

Timberwolves: Visit Oklahoma City on Friday.

Rockets: Host Cleveland on Friday.

Copyright 2016 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited